Colored polymeric materials may be produced by combining a reactive polymer, such terepolymers having epoxy groups or polyacryloyl chloride, with anthraquinone dyes containing nucleophilic reactive groups such as amino or hydroxy groups. Similarly, acryloylaminoanthraquinone dyes may be grafted to the backbone of vinyl or divinyl polymers. Likewise, anthraquinone dyes containing certain olefinic groups have been polymerized to produce polymeric dyes/pigments. (See, e.g., J.S.D.C., April 1977, pp 114–125.)
U.S. Pat. No. 4,115,056 describes the preparation of blue, substituted 1,4-diaminoanthraquinone dyes containing one acryloyloxy group and the use of the dyes in coloring various fibers, especially polyamide fibers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,617 discloses liquid crystalline copolymers containing certain blue, substituted 1,5-diamino-4,8-dihydroxyanthraquinone dyes containing an olefinic group copolymerized therein to provide liquid crystal copolymers having high dichromism. U.S. Pat. No. 5,055,602 describes the preparation of certain substituted 1,4-diaminoanthraquinone dyes containing polymerizable acryloyl and methacryloyl groups and their use in coloring polyacrylate contact lens materials by copolymerizing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,812 discloses the conversion of a variety of dye classes, including anthraquinones, into polymeric dyes by (a) polymerizing 2-alkenylazlactones and reacting the polymer with dyes containing nucleophilic groups and by (b) reacting a nucleophilic dye with an alkenylazlactone and then polymerizing the free radically polymerizable dyes thus produced. The polymeric dyes are reported to be useful for photoresist systems and for color proofing. U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,039 discloses a process for preparing colored vinyl polymers suitable for inks, paints, toners and the like by emulsion polymerization of a vinyl monomer with reactive anthraquinone dyes prepared by functionalizing certain anthraquinone dyes with methacryloyl groups.
The preparation of a variety of dyes, including some anthraquinones, that contain photopolymerizable groups and their use for color filters suitable for use in liquid crystal television sets, color copying machines, photosensitive resist resin compositions, and the like are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,578,419. The preparation of a variety of anthraquinones dyes which contain photopolymerizable groups are disclosed in U.S. Patent application 20020068725.
The present invention provides economical, photopolymerizable blue anthraquinone colorants with improved light stability and solubility in solvents or monomers relative to that known in the art. It has been surprisingly discovered that certain coating compositions on certain substrates prepared from the ethylenically-unsaturated blue colorants are harder than identical uncolored coatings on the same substrates.